SEATTLE – UFC officials didn’t want to start their Facebook stream with the heavyweight bout, and they may regret ending it with the sometimes-lackluster affair.

But while far from a barn-burner or crowd-pleaser, Mike Russow did
manage to move to 3-0 in the UFC with a second-round TKO victory (due to
a doctor’s stoppage) over fellow heavyweight Jon Madsen.

It was the featured attraction on the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 24 event. Five of the bouts streamed for free on Facebook prior to the night’s Spike TV-televised main-card broadcast.

After an uneventful first round that was showered with boos, the action finally started to pick up in the second. After bumping heads while trying to close distance, Russow landed a few punches and then scored a drag-takedown. But the action stalled, and the ref called for a standing restart.

Once there, Madsen finally drew some cheers with a leaping knee that partially connected, but Russow quickly corralled him and pressed him into the cage, which stalled the action. But as the round entered its final seconds, it was clear Madsen’s badly swollen left eye could be a problem.

With the fighter clearly fatigued and his eye swollen shut, the doctor called a halt to the bout and declared Madsen unable to continue.

It resulted in a second-round TKO victory for Russow, who said an overhand right caused the swelling, due to a doctor’s stoppage.

Following his three consecutive losses in the WEC, many fans wondered why featherweight Mackens Semerzier got an invitation to the UFC. But against “The Ultimate Fighter 12″ cast member Alex “Bruce Leroy” Caceres, they got a convincing glimpse of his potential.

The Team Curran fighter initially traded head kicks with his opponent before scoring a series of takedowns. The third was just the one he needed, and Semerzier quickly hopped into full mount.

Caceres tried to roll his way free, but Semerzier took his back, secured his hooks and locked in the fight-ending rear-naked choke in swift fashion.

The stoppage came at the 3:18 mark of the round.

“I’m pretty happy about my performance, but I ate a left hand that I’m not happy about,” Semerzier said. “I got a bloody nose. My jiu jitsu was good.”

After his WEC setbacks, Semerzier (6-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) starts off his UFC career on a positive note. Caceres (4-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), a love-or-hate him “TUF 12″ cast member who received far more boos than cheers on fight night, suffers his third loss in four fights.

Hathaway edges McCray via split decision

With his third consecutive UFC defeat, “The Ultimate Fighter 11″ runner-up Kris McCray likely faces a promotional release. But against welterweight standout John Hathaway, he went out fighting.

In one of the night’s most closely contested bouts, Hathaway edged his opponent for a split-decision victory via scores of 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28.

McCray used a couple takedowns and ground work to narrowly take the first round, and Hathaway took the second (on two of the three judges’ cards) in similarly close fashion.

The third round proved the difference-maker, and with both fighters tiring, Hathaway scored a few key takedowns and a couple well-time punches and knees. It was enough for the Brit to take the round and the decision.

Hathaway (15-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who arguably was the division’s fastest-rising contender until an October loss to Mike Pyle, rebounds from that first career loss and gets back in the win column. McCray (5-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC) fails to register his first UFC victory for a third time.

McDonald tops Figueroa in show-stealer

Edwin Figueroa was the clear loser on the scorecards, but the bantamweight newcomer did plenty to endear himself to fans in a “Fight of the Night” performance against eventual winner Michael McDonald.

The fighters went toe to toe in the opening minute, and it’d continue like that throughout the 15 minutes. McDonald’s striking proved superior in the first round, and in the second round, Figueroa’s submission defense took center stage. The fighter, who took the bout on a week’s notice, fended off rear-naked choke, armbar and triangle-choke attempts – each of which looked as though it could end the fight.

The pace finally slowed in the third round, which began with a hug and a clear sign of mutual respect. A wild exchange again brought the crowd to its feet, and each fighter soon would score a takedown. But in the waning seconds of the fight, McDonald shot and scored a cage-ratting takedown, which secured the judges’ nod.

All three officials scored the bout 30-27 for McDonald, though both fighters received a standing ovation for their appreciated efforts.

“It was a really tough fight,” McDonald said. “I’ve never been to a decision before. I guess that’s something I can say I did now, going three rounds, but I would prefer to end things quickly.”

The 20-year-old McDonald (12-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who joined the UFC after a one-fight stint in the WEC, now owns a five-fight win streak. Figueroa (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), a veteran of the Texas-based King of Kombat organization, suffers his first pro loss.

After winning the first round both standing and on the mat, Morecraft again took control in the second. Some early punches from close range staggered McCorkle, who then was taken to the mat and battered with more punches. But McCorkle got a reprieve (and took the full allotted five minutes) after he got back to his feet and was caught with an accidental low blow.

McCorkle was showered with boos, but he smartly took the time to recover, both from the punches and the groin shot.

On the restart, McCorkle, still clearly fatigued, slowly dipped, and Morecraft slapped on a standing guillotine choke. After a few seconds, McCorkle went partially limp, and the bout was halted at the 4:10 mark.

Morecraft (7-1 MMA 1-1 UFC) successfully rebounds from a hard-fought TKO loss to Stefan Struve in his octagon debut. McCorkle (10-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC), though a master self-promoter, faces an uncertain future following his two-fight skid in the UFC.

“All the trash talk hyped up the fight,” Morecraft said. “Sean McCorkle is good at that. My last fight I came out and dominated over Struve, and I got caught in the second round. It’s been a long four months of training, and I can’t wait to get back in here again.”

Hendricks scores quick TKO

Johny Hendricks rebounded from his first career loss – in swift fashion – with a 95-second TKO victory over fellow welterweight T.J. Waldburger.

After an initial scramble, the fighters reset, and Hendricks connected on two powerful left hands. The back-to-back blows sent Waldburger to the mat, and the ref halted the action before Hendricks could deliver any further punishment.

“I practice that a lot whenever I’m boxing against my guys,” he said. “I’ll use my hand to post their hand away to get a clear shot at their chin. That’s as solid as I’ll hit someone right there.”

Hendricks (10-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who suffered a decision loss to fast-rising Rick Story in December, is a two-time NCAA Division I national champion. However, six of his 10 wins now have come via knockout.

Aaron Simpson picked up a much-needed victory and rebounded from the first two losses of his career with a dominant unanimous-decision victory over fellow middleweight Mario Miranda.

Simpson, who had suffered back-to-back losses to Chris Leben and Mark Munoz heading into the fight, likely saved his job with a wrestling-dominant win that featured numerous takedown, dominant ground positions, and a smothering top game.

In the end, the former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler earned the unanimous decision via scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26.

“(In) this fight, I went back to my roots and concentrated on the wrestling,” Simpson said. “I wanted to keep the pressure on him, use my strength, and not let him hit me with any big knees. His wrestling surprised me. It was better than I thought it was going to be.”

Simpson (7-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) claims a victory for the first time since earning a split decision over Tom Lawlor in January 2010. Miranda (12-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC), meanwhile, likely faces a release following back-to-back defeats and three losses in his past four fights, all in the UFC.

Lentz scores comeback win

The night got off to a rough start with a lightweight bout between Waylon Lowe and Nik Lentz. First, a timekeeper sounded a horn just a few seconds into the bout, and then officials began to open the cage door while the first round was still underway.

Despite the hiccups, the bout proved a fairly entertaining one. Down two rounds to none and with the bout seemingly ready to go the distance, Lentz traded leather with his opponent before slapping on a lighting-quick guillotine choke, pulling guard and forcing the tap-out.

The stunning end came at the 2:24 mark of the final round.

“Yeah, that’s my move,” he said of the choke. “Since I got into the UFC, these guys know every single trick and cheat to get out of that thing, so it took me a little while to learn all the tricks.”

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